January 29 DVD roundup

Only one Oscar nominee this week: Glenn Close in “The Wife.” It’s surprising that “Boy Erased” didn’t get any nominations; that’s usually the type of film that the Academy usually recognizes.

Usual rules apply: synopses are taken from the press releases and Amazon descriptions; snarky commentary is extra. Rotten Tomatoes ratings are included where available. Prices include Amazon links so you can purchase them online (and cheaper to boot!). We also invite you to check out our Facebook Page in order to get more alerts on upcoming releases.

Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls
Universal, PG-13, 91 minutes
DVD retail price: $19.98DVD Amazon price: $13.99
Ben McGrath (Chris Klein) had the potential to enter the major leagues, but his hopes to play baseball literally get crushed. He gets another swing at redemption as a new attorney for Schmood & Associates. When his unorthodox boss, Mel (Jon Lovitz), convinces him to manage their eclectic softball team full of misfits and strikeouts he attempts to muster enough spirit to rally and win it all. No extras listed.

Boy Erased
Universal, R, 115 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 80
DVD retail price: $29.98DVD Amazon price: $18.98
BD/DC retail price: $34.98BD/DC Amazon price: $19.99
Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) is the gay son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town who must overcome the fallout of being outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe). His parents struggle with reconciling their love for their son with their beliefs. Fearing a loss of family, friends, and community, Jared is pressured into attending a conversion therapy program. While there, Jared comes into conflict with its leader (Joel Edgerton) and begins his journey to finding his own voice and accepting his true self. Also stars Joe Alywn, Xavier Doland, Troye Sivan, Cherry Jones, Flea. DVD extras: featurettes, deleted scenes.

Crossed the Line
Gravitas Ventures, not rated, 92 minutes
DVD retail price: $16.99DVD Amazon price: $11.49
BD retail price: $19.99BD Amazon price: $12.99
A young woman refuses to bow down to the local criminal kingpin (Ice-T) who wants to take control of her late mother’s flower shop in order to run drugs. However, when he crosses the line, she and her siblings seek revenge. Also stars Caryn Ward, La’Myia Good, Vanessa Williams, Sam Sarpong, Lauren Pendington, Shanell Mondane. No extras listed.

Humans 3.0
Acorn Media, , 391 minutes, 8 episodes, 2 discsRotten Tomatoes ranking: 100
DVD retail price: $39.99DVD Amazon price: $27.99
BD retail price: $39.99BD Amazon price: $26.07
One year after synths around the globe gained consciousness, human distrust of synths is at an all-time high, and both populations struggle to cope with the fallout. Human lawyer Laura (Katherine Parkinson) fights for synth rights at a high-profile government commission, while Mia (Gemma Chan) and Max (Ivanno Jeremiah) run a settlement for sentient synths. But Max is torn between his new role as leader and helping his friend, human-synth hybrid Leo (Colin Morgan). When a bomb blast at a synth-friendly bar inflames already high tensions, Niska (Emily Berrington) searches for the perpetrator, and what she finds will have monumental consequences for humans and synths alike. Also stars Mark Bonnar, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ukweli Roach, Sam Palladio. This is the uncut UK edition of the series shown in America on AMC. DVD extras: featurettes.

Indivisible
Universal, PG-13, 119 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 72
DVD retail price: $24.98DVD Amazon price: $14.96
BD/DC/DVD retail price: $29.98BD/DC/DVD Amazon price: $15.55
Fresh from seminary and basic training, Army Chaplain Darren Turner (Justin Bruening) and his family arrive at Fort Stewart. Yet before the Turners can even unpack their new house, Darren is deployed to Iraq. Heather (Sarah Drew) is left taking care of their three young children alone – as well as serving the families of the other deployed soldiers. Despite a desire to stay connected with their loved ones, the harsh realities of war take a daily toll over the course of the Battalion’s extended deployment. With deeply etched battle scars, the soldiers’ long-awaited homecoming is much different than any of their families anticipated. Carrying burdens the other can’t comprehend, the Turners must decide if they’re willing to face one more battle: the fight to save their marriage. Based on a true story. Also stars Jason George, Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Michael O’Neill, Eric Close.

The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
Shout! Factory, not rated, 93 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 92
BD/DVD retail price: $26.99BD/DVD Amazon price: $19.99
As a group of teens go out for a night on the town, a sophomore known only as “The Girl with Black Hair” experiences a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife… all the while unaware of the romantic longings of Senpai, a fellow student who has been creating increasingly fantastic and contrived reasons to run into her, in an effort to win her heart. In Japanese with English subtitles. BD/DVD extras: interviews.

Sarah T.: Portrait Of A Teenage Alcoholic
Shout! Factory, not rated, 96 minutes
BD retail price: $27.99BD Amazon price: $22.94
Sarah Travis (Linda Blair) is an average teenager who is introduced to drinking alcohol at local parties. As a means of coping with problems in her life, most notably her parents’ divorce, Sarah starts to drink regularly and tries to keep her addiction a secret, even from her boyfriend (Mark Hamill). Eventually, Sarah’s increasingly severe drinking almost leads to tragedy, and she enters Alcoholics Anonymous, beginning an ongoing struggle to get sober and stay that way. Directed by Richard Donner. First release for this film in any format. BD extras: photo gallery, interviews.

Screamers
Shout! Factory, R, 108 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 30
BD retail price: $29.99BD Amazon price: $21.72
In 2078, rebel alliance Commander Col. Joseph Hendrickson (Peter Weller) is assigned to protect the Sirius 6B outpost from ravage and plunder at the hands of the New Economic Bloc. His state-of-the-art weaponry are known as Screamers; manmade killing devices programmed to eliminate all enemy life forms. Screamers travel underground; their intent to kill announced by piercing shrieks. They dissect their victims with precision, then eradicate all traces of the carnage. But theyare mutating – self-replicating into human form – and killing everything on the planet. Also stars Jennifer Rubin. BD extras: interviews.

Suburbia: Collector’s Edition
Shout! Factory, R, 94 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 91
BD retail price: $29.99BD Amazon price: $26.99
A group of runaway teen punks escape unhappy homes, banding together to form their own family. Dubbing themselves “The Rejected,” (aka T.R.), the teens have taken squatters’ rights in a filthy, abandoned house, and are bound together by tragedy and punk rock until they’re confronted by the “Citizens Against Crime,” a group from the suburbs who blame the punks for the ruin of their town. Stars Bill Coyne, Chris Pederson, Jennifer Clay, Christina Beck, Flea. Directed by Penelope Spheeris. BD extras: photo gallery, commentary.

Suspiria (2018)
Lionsgate, R, 152 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 64
BD/DC retail price: $24.99BD/DC Amazon price: $18.84
Young American dancer Susie Bannion arrives in 1970s Berlin to audition for the world-renowned Helena Markos Dance Company, stunning the troupe’s famed choreographer, Madame Blanc, with her raw talent. When she vaults to the role of lead dancer, Olga, the previous lead, breaks down and accuses the company’s female directors of being witches. As rehearsals intensify for the ?nal performance of the company’s signature piece, Susie and Madame Blanc grow strangely close, suggesting that Susie’s purpose in the company goes beyond merely dancing. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist trying to uncover the company’s dark secrets enlists the help of another dancer, who probes the depths of the studio’s hidden underground chambers, where horri?c discoveries await. Reboot of the 1977 cult horror classic by Dario Argento. BD/DC extras: featurettes.

The Wife
Sony, R, 100 minutesRotten Tomatoes ranking: 84
DVD retail price: $25.99DVD Amazon price: $14.96
BD retail price: $30.99BD Amazon price: $22.08
After nearly forty years of marriage, Joan (Glenn Close, nominated for Best Actress) and Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce) are complements. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as the Great American Novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm, and diplomacy into the private role of the Great Man’s Wife. As Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work. the film interweaves the story of the couple’s youthful passion and ambition with a portrait of a marriage, thirty-plus years later–a lifetime’s shared compromises, secrets, betrayals, and mutual love. Also stars Christian Slater, Max Irons, Annie Starke (Close’s daughter).

The Yeti Adventures
Universal, not rated, 85 minutes
DVD retail price: $14.98DVD Amazon price: $9.99
Quebec City, 1955. An ebullient novice detective accidentally crosses paths with an ambitious research assistant in anthropology at the local university. Backed by a glory-seeking philanthropist, they set off to prove the existence of the Abominable Snowman.